amartillar

To hammer or pound something, and specifically to cock a firearm — amartillar el arma antes de disparar. The gun-cocking sense is the most common modern use; the general hammering sense is now largely covered by martillar.

• El vaquero amartilló el revólver antes de entrar en el bar. — The cowboy cocked the revolver before walking into the bar.
• Amartillaron los clavos para reforzar la estructura. — They hammered in the nails to reinforce the structure.
• El sonido de amartillar el arma se escuchó en el silencio. — The sound of cocking the gun was heard in the silence.

Using amartillar for everyday hammering (a nail, a picture frame) — modern Spanish overwhelmingly reserves amartillar for cocking a firearm; martillar is the natural verb for ordinary hammering.

Often confused with martillar.